The upgraded CVGC carbon vacuum gripper has a variety of customizations, including sizing, configurability, and compatibility. | Source: Coval

Vacuum grippers are a popular option for manufacturers and warehouse operators hoping to get the most payload capacity out of their robots. These grippers can provide between four and 10 times more power than their electromechanical counterparts, making them good at lifting heavy weights, said Coval Inc. The provider of vacuum automation technology has released its redesigned CVGC carbon vacuum gripper. 

Coval it designed this upgraded gripper with feedback from its customers, integrators, manufacturers, and operators. The Raleigh, N.C.-based company said it also took into account current and future trends in the collaborative robot market. These trends include greater application diversity, growth in the number of manufacturers, increased co-presence with operators, and handling of heavier loads. 

The new CVGC offers a number of advantages, claimed Coval. First, thanks to its carbon design, the gripper is ultra-light and compact. It’s also compatible with a wide range of cobots and has a range of configuration possibilities, making it highly versatile, said the company, whose global headquarters are in France.

Coval offers two standard versions of its grippers: the M2 Version with a vacuum generator, and the CVGC GO Version without a vacuum generator. The M2 version is a plug-and-play system that Coval designed to adapt to all models of cobots. It integrates the necessary gripper functions under a protective cover for optimal use, the company noted. 

The CVGC gripper is designed for versatile configurations. Source: Coval

The GO Version can be used with an independent vacuum generator, said Coval. It is equipped with a VRU-series vacuum rotary union, which the company said ensures vacuum supply to the gripper via an external source. From these two versions, customers have different options when it comes to size and configurability. 

Coval aims to provide maximum flexibility

On request, Coval said its design team is available to develop customized vacuum grippers. The CVGC is available in three sizes to meet customer’s precise needs — 240 x 120 mm (9.45 x 4.72 in.), 320 x 160 mm (12.6 x 6.3 in.), 350 x 250 mm (13.78 x 9.84 in.).

The gripper is available with a choice of three mounting options and six connection cables. It also has comes with suction cups or foam gripping interfaces.

Coval built its foam Interface for the handling of rigid products and gripping textured or uneven surfaces. It has flow control nozzles and two standard hole diameters, 12 mm (.47 in.) and oblong 27 x 12 mm (1.06 x 0.47 in.). 

The CVGC Suction Cup Interface can handle flexible products and comes with a wide range of cup options. It also offers flow-control nozzles in multiple diameters and has two types of standard suction cups measuring 25 mm (0.98 in.) and 33 mm (1.3 in.). 

Coval added that its upgraded CVGC vacuum gripper is aimed at a range of industries, including food processing, packaging, plastics processing, and more. The company said it designed the gripper to be a versatile tool for all manufacturers, integrators, and users of cobots for palletizing, gripping boxes, plastic parts, and a wide variety of other applications.

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Realtime Robotics demonstrates a multi-robot workcell during Mitsubishi Electric’s visit. Credit: Eugene Demaitre

BOSTON — As factories and warehouses look to automate more of their operations, they need confidence that multiple robots can conduct complex tasks repeatedly, reliably, and safely. Realtime Robotics has developed hardware-agnostic software to run and coordinate industrial workcells smoothly without error or collision.

“The lack of coordination on the fly is a key reason why we don’t see multiple robots in many applications today — even in machine tending, where multiple arms could be useful,” said Peter Howard, CEO of Realtime Robotics (RTR). “We’re planning with Mitsubishi Electric to put our motion planner into its CNC controller.”

The company last month received strategic investment from Mitsubishi Electric Corp. as part of its ongoing Series B round. Realtime Robotics said it plans to use the funding to continue scaling and refining its motion-planning optimization and runtime systems. 

Last week, a high-ranking delegation from Mitsubishi Electric visited Realtime Robotics to celebrate the companies’ collaboration. RTR demonstrated a workcell with four robot arms from different vendors, including Mitsubishi, that was able to optimize motion as desired in seconds.

“Mitsubishi Electric is a multi-business conglomerate, a technology leader, and one of the leading suppliers of factory automation products worldwide,” said Dr. Toshie Takeuchi, executive officer and group president for factory automation systems at Mitsubishi. “I see this partnership as the perfect point where experience meets innovation to create value for our customers, stakeholders, and society.”

She and Howard answered the following questions from The Robot Report:

Mitsubishi Electric, Realtime Robotics integrate technologies

How is Realtime Robotics’ motion-optimization software unique? How will it help Mitsubishi Electric’s customers?

Takeuchi: Realtime Robotics’ software is unique in many ways. It starts with the ability to do collision-free motion planning. From there, the motion planning in single robot cells as well as multirobot cells can be automatically optimized for cycle time.

Our customers will benefit by optimizing cycle time to improve production efficiency and reducing the amount of engineering efforts required for equipment design.

Howard: Typically, to provide access for multiple tools at once, you need an interlocked sequence, which loses time. According to the IFR [which recognized the company for its “choreography” tool], up to 70% of the cost of a robot is in programming it.

With RapidPlan, we automatically tune for fixed applications, saving time. Our cloud service can consume files and send back an optimized motion plan, enabling hundreds of thousands of motions in a couple of hours. It’s like Google Maps for industrial robots.

Does Mitsubishi have a timeframe in mind for integrating Realtime’s technology into its controls for factory automation (FA)? When will they be available?

Takeuchi: We are starting by integrating RTR’s motion-planning and optimization technology into our 3D simulator to significantly improve equipment and system design.

Our plan is to incorporate this technology into our FA control systems, including PLCs and CNCs, and this integration is currently under development and testing, with a launch expected soon.

Howard: We’re currently validating and characterizing for remote optimization with customers. We’re also doing longevity testing here at our headquarters.

In the demo cell, you couldn’t easily program 1.7 million options for four different arms, but RapidPlan automates motion planning and calculates space reservations to avoid obstacles in real time. We do point-to-point, integrated spline-based movement.

Toyota asked us for a 16-arm cell to test spot welding, and we can add a second controller for an adjacent cell. We can currently control up to 12 robots for welding high and low on an auto body.

Mitsubishi Electric recently launched the RV-35/50/80 FR industrial robots — are they designed to work with Realtime’s technology?

Takeuchi: Yes, they are. Our robots are developed on the same platform which seamlessly integrate with RTR’s technology.

Howard: For example, Sony uses Mitsubishi robots to manufacture 2-cm parts, and we can get down to submillimeter accuracy if it’s a known object with a CAD file.

Cobots are fine for larger objects and voxels, but users must still conduct safety assessments.

MELCO’s Dr. Takeuchi changes optimization parameters during RTR demonstration by Kevin Carlin, chief commercial officer. Source: Realtime Robotics

RTR optimizes motion for multiple applications

What sorts of applications or use cases do Mitsubishi and Realtime expect to benefit from closer coordination among robots?

Takeuchi: Our interaction with and understanding from customers suggest that almost all manufacturing sites are continuously in need of increasing production, efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.

With our collaboration, we can reduce the robots’ cycle time, hence increasing efficiency. Multi-robot applications can collaborate seamlessly, increasing throughput and optimizing floor space.

By implementing collision-free motion planning, we help our customers reduce the potential for collisions, thereby reducing losses and improving overall performance.

Howard: It’s all about shortening cycle times and avoiding collisions. In Europe, energy efficiency is increasingly a priority, and in Japan, floor space is at a premium, but throughput is still the most important.

Our mission is to make automation simpler to program. For customers like Mitsubishi, Toyota, and Siemens, the hardware has to be industrial-grade, and so does the software. We talk to all the OEMs and have close relationships with the major robot suppliers.

This is ideal for uses cases such as gluing, deburring, welding and assembly. RapidSense can also be helpful in mixed-case palletizing. For mobile manipulation, RTR’s software could plan for the motion of both the AMR [autonomous mobile robot] and the arm.

Members of Realtime Robotics and Mitsubishi Electric’s teams celebrate their collaboration. Source: Realtime Robotics

Mitsubishi strengthens partnership

Do you expect that the addition of a member to Realtime Robotics’ board of directors will help it jointly plan future products with Mitsubishi Electric?

Takeuchi: Yes. Since our initial investment in Realtime Robotics, we have both benefited from this partnership. We look forward to integrating the Realtime Robotics technology into our portfolio of products to continue enhancing our next-gen products with advanced features and scalability.

Howard: RTR has been working with Mitsubishi since 2018, so it’s our longest customer and partner. We have other investors, but our relationship with Mitsubishi is more holistic, broader, and deeper.

We’ve seen a lot of Mitsubishi Electric’s team as we create our products, and we look forward to reaching the next steps to market together.

The post Realtime Robotics celebrates motion-planning collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric appeared first on The Robot Report.

Collaborative Robotics has kept its actual robot out of public view. | Source: Adobe Stock, Photoshopped by The Robot Report

Collaborative Robotics, a developer of cobots for logistics, today announced the establishment of a Foundation Models AI team. Michael Vogelsong, a founder of Amazon’s Deep Learning Tech team, will lead the new team in Seattle.

“Our cobots are already doing meaningful work in production on behalf of our customers,” stated Brad Porter, CEO of Collaborative Robotics. “Our investment in building a dedicated foundation models AI team for robotics represents a significant step forward as we continue to increase the collaborative potential of our cobots.”

“The foundation models AI team will explore the cutting-edge possibilities of AI in enhancing robotic capabilities, particularly in the area of bimanual manipulation and low-latency multimodal models,” he added. “We aim to achieve a new level of comprehension and control in our robots, enabling them to understand and respond effectively to complex tasks and environments. I am looking forward to seeing the innovations this talented team creates.”

Collaborative Robotics keeps its system under wraps

In April, Collaborative Robotics closed its $100 million Series B round toward commercializing its autonomous mobile manipulator. The company has been very secretive about the actual design of its system, releasing only scant details about the payload capabilities and the fact that is a wheeled collaborative robot.

At the time, Porter told The Robot Report that the new cobot’s base is capable of omnidirectional motion with four wheels and a swerve-drive design, along with a central tower-like structure that can acquire, carry, and place totes and boxes around a warehouse.

Brad Porter of Collaborative Robotics (far right) participated in a debate on whether humanoid robots are reality or hype at Robotics Invest this week in Boston. Credit: Eugene Demaitre

Foundation AI models coming to robotics

Foundation AI models are currently one of the hottest topics in robotics, with many companies investing in both talent and intellectual property to develop the technology. Foundation models offer the promise of generalizing behaviors and reducing the effort to build and maintain special-purpose models.

Collaborative Robotics said its new Foundation Models AI team will concentrate on integrating advanced machine-learning techniques into its production robots. By combining existing foundation models, novel research, and strategic partnerships with the practical experience from running systems live in production environments, the team aims to improve the adaptability and precision of robotic tasks.

Building on the company’s earlier work in developing an Auditable Control and Planning Framework (ACoP), this research will explore how models that process text, vision, and actions can interact and create a real-time feedback loop for adaptive control.

The company also announced a that it is funding Ph.D. work at the University of Washington through a “significant” gift. This gift will sponsor the research of Prof. Sidd Srinivasa, an academic leader in AI and robotics, who also serves as an advisor to Collaborative Robotics.

“The collaboration with Cobot supports our ongoing research at the University of Washington,” said Srinivasa. “Cobot’s commitment to advancing AI and robotics aligns well with our research goals and will help us advance robotic capabilities across multiple dimensions and particularly in the area of bimanual manipulation. ”

Collaborative Robotics plans this month to open its Seattle office, which will serve as a hub for these advanced research activities. The company said it expects the city’s tech ecosystem to support its expansion and research goals.

The post Collaborative Robotics expands with new Seattle office and AI team appeared first on The Robot Report.

The Robotics Manufacturing Hub is modular, adaptable, and multi-use, with OEM diversity. Source: The ARM Institute

When the ARM Institute launched its Robotics Manufacturing Hub about a year ago, it quickly realized that U.S. manufacturers weren’t looking at robotics and automation because they weren’t interested in the technology. Instead, the barriers to automation loomed so large that it was impossible for small and midsize firms to know where to start.

When the ARM Institute announced its no-cost Robotics Manufacturing Hub for manufacturers in the Pittsburgh region, its pipeline of interested manufacturers rapidly filled. With the ARM Institute offering a pathway to minimize the risks they associate with robotics and automation, U.S. manufacturers were, and still are, eager to explore the possibilities.

Larger manufacturing firms can more easily navigate the process of implementing automation. With greater general resources, in-house R&D, financing to invest in the upfront costs, and more time to explore solutions, they’ve more successfully been able to see the process through from start to finish.

Small and midsize manufacturers (SMMs) have to navigate more risk. They need to spend more time understanding how the changes will affect their operations. They often lack in-house robotics expertise, and they need systems that will dynamically meet their needs without requiring constant upkeep when, in many cases, their workforce is already strained.

The ARM Institute’s Robotics Manufacturing Hub is a free resource to help manufacturers navigate these barriers and others by identifying the best business cases for robotics, testing the systems within the manufacturer’s budget, and offering a path to implementation. Part of this solution includes the ability for SMMs in Southwestern Pennsylvania to work directly with the institute’s team of robotics engineers and get hands-on with advanced technologies in the institute’s Pittsburgh facility.

Register now.

ARM Institute shares case studies

Since the Robotics Manufacturing Hub’s creation, the ARM Institute has worked with several manufacturers in the Pittsburgh region to explore their challenges and help them understand where robotics can address these challenges.

For example, the ARM Institute worked with a manufacturer of castings and forgings to automate its manual quality-inspection process. Partnering with FARO and NEFF Automation through the Robotics Manufacturing Hub, the ARM Institute performed a proof-of-concept of a Universal Robots cobot controlling a FARO laser scanner. The manufacturer plans to pursue implementation.

The ARM Institute also worked with a company that needed to package heavy iron and steel parts into shipping containers, creating an ergonomically uncomfortable task for a human worker. In this situation, requirements for the robotic end effector were highly specific, and it’s critical to calculate the correct pick place on the parts and speed limitations of the robot to move heavy parts and prevent failure or injury.

The ARM Institute is working with its member CapSen Robotics on a solution.

CapSen Robotics has designed end effectors to sort metal parts. Source: CapSen Robotics

Inside the Robotics Manufacturing Hub facility

Much of this work is completed using the ARM Institute’s headquarters as a neutral ground for exploration and prototyping, giving manufacturers access to equipment before they commit to installing any system.

This facility is modular, adaptable, and multi-use, with OEM diversity to directly meet each manufacturer’s individual needs. ARM Institute engineers work directly in the lab and interface between suppliers and manufacturers to act in the SMM’s best interest and ensure that the work will address the specific challenges the company is facing.

Below is a brief overview of the equipment available through the Robotics Manufacturing Hub and application areas that can be addressed using this equipment:

Collaborative robots:

• Universal Robots (UR) 5e
• Yaskawa HC10
• FANUC CRX-10 Ai/L
• FANUC CRX-20 Ai/L

The cobots can be configured for the following applications:

• Small part handling
• Pick and place
• Vision-guided grasping for pick-and-place applications
• Machine tending
• Process tasks including gluing and dispensing
• Inspection with Faro ARM Quantum with Laser line probe and CMM
• Inspection with Cognex 2D imaging
• Inspection with Cognex 3D imaging

Industrial robots

• Epson VT6L
• Yaskawa GP-88
• Yaskawa GP-180
• Yaskawa Weld Cell with positioner

The industrial robots can be configured for the following applications

• Large part handling
• Large part palletizing
• Large part pick and place
• Force controlled grinding and polishing
• Welding

Get involved with the Robotics Manufacturing Hub

Small and midsize manufacturers in the Pittsburgh region can get a free automation assessment and use the Robotics Manufacturing Hub at no cost, thanks to funding from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Region’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge Award. Now is a great time to get started with the hub, as the ARM Institute is looking to work with more manufacturers.

In the future, the ARM Institute hopes to expand these services to manufacturers beyond this region and encourages those with interest in using or housing these services to reach out. In addition, the ARM Institute’s member ecosystem can use the Robotics Manufacturing Hub as a benefit of membership.

According to the ARM Institute’s “Future of Work” study released last week, industry trends include keeping people in the loop and the need for organizations to learn how to use data as artificial intelligence increases in importance. As a result, the institute noted that manufacturers and training centers must develop programs to help workers develop the skills needed to stay competitive and adapt to new technologies.

U.S. manufacturing resiliency is the cornerstone of our national security. The ARM Institute’s Robotics Manufacturing Hub addresses a critical need in helping to provide SMMs with the resources that they need to explore and implement automation, enhancing their competitiveness and benefiting the full manufacturing ecosystem.

About the author

Larry Sweet last year became director of engineering at the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute in Pittsburgh. He has experience in bringing emerging technologies into production by increasing their Technology Readiness Level, concurrent with improvements in factory floor processes and workforce skills.

Sweet was previously the director for worldwide robotics deployment at Amazon Robotics, leading technology transition and system integration for all internally developed automation into Amazon’s global network. He has also held senior manufacturing and technology roles at Symbotic, the Frito-Lay, United Technologies, ABB, FANUC, and GE. Sweet spoke at the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo in May.

Editor’s note: This article is syndicated from The Robot Report sibling site Engineering.com.

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Organization: Universal Robots
Country: Denmark
Website: https://www.universal-robots.com/
Year Founded: 2005
Number of Employees: 500+
Innovation Class: Technology, Product & Services

Universal Robots A/S has been the world’s leading developer of collaborative robot arms for a number of years. In 2023, the Teradyne subsidiary generated $375 million in revenue. Teradyne has said that its robotics portfolio, which also includes Energid (motion planning software) and Mobile Industrial Robots (autonomous mobile robots) has penetrated less than 5% of its market opportunity.

Odense, Denmark-based Universal Robots continued to diversify its cobot lineup in 2023 with the introduction of the UR30. With a 30 kg (66.13 lb.) lifting capacity, 1,300 mm (51.2 in.) reach, and weight of 63.5 kg (139.9 lb.), the UR30 can tend larger machines, palletize heavy products, and support high-torque screw driving.

Built on the same architecture as the UR20, the UR30 cobot arm offers more payload capacity in a compact footprint. Anders Billesø Beck, vice president of strategy and innovation at Universal Robots, told The Robot Report that the UR30 was in development for more than a year before it was introduced. He said that, despite the popularity of the UR20, some customers wanted a robot with a smaller footprint and a higher payload capacity.

The UR30 offers six degrees of freedom and a new “steady mode” that the company said opens up the cobot to different screwdriving applications, including in the automotive industry.

The diversification of its product line should enable Universal Robots to maintain its position atop the cobot arm market. While the UR30 isn’t the first collaborative robot to offer a 30 kg payload, it comes with UR’s top-notch global support, industry-leading accessories, training, and service programs. This continues to make UR a true one-stop shop for a user’s collaborative robotics needs.

Register now.

Explore the RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024.

RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards 2024

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Operators use OmniCore V400XT to control a large robot with Robot Studio. Source: ABB Robotics

Thanks to advances in cloud computing, perception technology, and artificial intelligence, industrial and other robots are becoming smarter and more capable. ABB Robotics today launched its next-generation OmniCore platform, which can now control most of its automation line.

“For our customers, automation is a strategic requirement as they seek greater flexibility, simplicity, and efficiency in response to the global megatrends of labor shortages, uncertainty, and the need to operate more sustainably,” said Sami Atiya, president of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation Business Area. “Through our development of advanced mechatronics, AI, and vision systems, our robots are more accessible, more capable, more flexible, and more mobile than ever.”

“But increasingly, they must also work seamlessly together, with us, and each other to take on more tasks in more places,” he added. “This is why we are launching OmniCore, a new milestone in our 50-year history in robotics; a unique, single control architecture – one platform, and one language that integrates our complete range of leading hardware and software.”

Three out of four European companies struggle to find workers for jobs such as welding and fulfillment, noted Atiya. He added that more than 2.1 million U.S. manufacturing jobs will be unfilled by 2030, and businesses need supply chain resilience. In response, Atiya said, OmniCore will provide greater simplicity and flexibility to ABB’s customers.

ABB Robotics, which has offices in Zurich; Vasteras, Sweden; and Auburn Hills, Mich., noted that OmniCore is the product of more than $170 million in investment. The unit of ABB Group called it “a step change to a modular and futureproof control architecture that will enable the full integration of AI, sensor, cloud, and edge computing systems to create the most advanced and autonomous robotic applications.”

While ABB has offered OmniCore since 2018, its plan was always to make it its unified control platform, explained Marc Segura, division president of ABB Robotics. “Now we are in our pivotal moment where we are launching it to the cover almost our entire robotics portfolio,” he told The Robot Report.

Register now.

OmniCore offers speed and accuracy

ABB Robotics said OmniCore delivers robot path accuracy at a level of less than 0.6 mm, and it can control the motion of multiple robots running at speeds of up to 1,600 mm per second (3.5 mph). This builds on ABB’s experience with automotive manufacturing. It also opens opportunities for precision automation in areas such as arc welding, assembly of mobile phone displays, gluing, and laser cutting.

“Our automotive customers are extremely competent and helped push the boundaries of what is possible,” Segura said. “OmniCore also complies with and exceeds the most stringent cybersecurity standard and is future-proof for AI and digitalization.”

He claimed that the updated platform enables its robots to operate up to 25% faster and to consume up to 20% less energy compared with its previous controller. It is open to peripherals including sensors, as well as external devices such as dispensers or welding tools, for numerous processes. It also supports up to 100 safety configurations.

Platform covers hardware, software ecosystem

OmniCore is built on a scalable, modular control architecture that offers a wide array of functions, making it suitable for new industries embracing automation, such as biotechnology and construction, said ABB. It also includes more than 1,000 hardware and software features to help customers design, operate, maintain, and optimize operations.

OmniCore is the top level of a software stack that includes the RobotWare operating system and Robot Studio for simulation and design, said Segura. He cited software features such as OptiFact for managing data, Absolute Accuracy, and PickMaster Twin, as well as hardware options spanning from external axis and vision systems to fieldbuses.

“The OmniCore difference is its ability to manage motion, sensors, and application equipment in a single holistic unified system,” he said. “Our new, next-generation platform is more than a controller. It is the backbone of value creation, which includes a complete, integrated software ecosystem.”

“For example, OmniCore enables automotive manufacturers to increase production speed, offering tremendous competitive advantage, increasing press-tending production from 12 to 15 strokes per minute to produce 900 parts per hour,” Segura said. “Some of these applications are now available even as pre-integrated configurations, enabling our systems integrators to reduce commissioning times even further.”

“Software and AI are paramount for us at ABB,” Atiya said. “We have more than 100 projects ongoing to bring AI into our products and for our own productivity.”

He noted that AI enables inspection of welds 20 times faster than with humans, and up to 1,400 picks per hour with its robots. Atiya predicted that generative AI such as ChatGPT will broaden accessibility of robotics.

ABB says OmniCore offers seven benefits for robotics deployment and management. Source: ABB Robotics

ABB plans for compatibility across its robots

ABB said its history of robotics innovation began with “the world’s first microprocessor-controlled robot” in 1974. It launched the RobotStudio software in 1998 and acquired Sevensense in 2024 to bring industry-leading AI-based navigation technology to its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) purchased with ASTI in 2021.

OmniCore replaces ABB Robotics’ IRC5 controller, which will be phased out in June 2026. The company plans to continue to support its customers with spare parts and services through the remaining lifetime of robots using it. Is new hardware needed to upgrade?

Existing users need only to make some minimal re-engineering for connectivity, wiring, and the customized user interface on the FlexPendant, replied Segura. No additional equipment or training is needed, but online and in-person training are available.

“We are still compliant with all the sensors used on IRC5 and have added more opportunities on the OmniCore platform,” Segura said. 

In addition to managing motion, sensors, and application equipment, OmniCore will be able to manage ABB’s collaborative robots, acknowledged Segura. “We also plan to run all our AMRs and mobile manipulators to run on OmniCore in the near future,” he said. 

After the “Fanta challenge” in 2009, which showed three robots working together, ABB demonstrated three robot arms moving around with champagne glasses to show off OmniCore’s precise motion control for production and safety purposes.

OmniCore is now available, and ABB is taking orders. The company is hosting a virtual conference for the new OmniCore platform at 10:00 CEST (4:00 a.m. EDT) on June 4, 2024. It will be available to those who register after the launch event.

The post ABB releases OmniCore platform for control across its robotics line appeared first on The Robot Report.

Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in May 2024. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter or listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay updated on the robotics stories you need to know about.

10. Kawasaki Robotics gives first look at its collaborative robots

Kawasaki Robotics (USA) Inc. gave a first look at its new CL family of collaborative robots at Automate. The company also showed off new applications using the Kawasaki R Series and BX Series of industrial robots. Read More

9. iRobot’s new CEO on cleanup duty after Amazon deal fails

iRobot has found its new leader who will try to rejuvenate the consumer robotics pioneer following Amazon’s failed $1.7 billion acquisition deal. Gary Cohen, who has 25-plus years of executive leadership and turnaround experience, was named CEO. He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of iRobot, including innovation, product and commercial strategies, operational excellence, talent, and maintaining a sustainable competitive advantage. Read More

8. How humanoid robots can help narrow gaps between automation and labor

The robotics industry has seen major growth and maturity in the past decade. Technology advances such as vision systems and computing power, along with the rise of artificial intelligence, have helped the industry grow in many ways. Robots also are getting cheaper and more affordable. Robots are taking a greater role and improving automation in many ways, but are humanoid robots the next step? Read More

7. Former Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt launches new venture

Kyle Vogt, the co-founder and former CEO of autonomous vehicle developer Cruise LLC, has launched a new startup: The Bot Company. Vogt posted to LinkedIn that the company has already raised $150 million from investors, but he didn’t give many details of its plans for service or household robots. Read More

6. SwRI releases CAD-based toolkit for robotics development

Ease of use continues to be an ongoing challenge for robotics developers and users. And the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is looking to do its part with a new toolkit that aims to simplify programming robots. Read More

5. Doosan Robotics releases its longest-reach cobots with PRIME SERIES

Doosan Robotics Inc. unveiled its latest and most powerful series of cobots yet: the PRIME-SERIES, or P-SERIES. Its new P3020 cobot, part of the line, is the company’s longest-reaching cobot to date. The P3020 collaborative robot (cobot) has a payload of up to 30 kg (60 lbs) and a reach of 2,030 mm (80 in). Read More

4. ABB expands line of modular industrial robots

ABB Robotics is already expanding its lineup of modular industrial robot arms. The company this week introduced the IRB 7710 and IRB 7720 that offer 16 new variants and are designed for a variety of applications. However, ABB said it expects the majority of installations of the new robots to be in automotive OEM and Tier supplier sectors, as well as a significant level of installation in logistics, foundry, machinery manufacturing, construction and agriculture applications. Read More

3. Meet the Robotics Company Who is Engineering Some of the Most Exciting Field Deployed Technology

In recent years, the market for field-deployed robotics has seen significant growth, mainly due to the advances in sensor technology, processing capabilities, and hardware efficiency. These technological advancements make it increasingly feasible and meaningful to develop robotic solutions for automating repetitive day-to-day tasks. Read More

2. Unitree Robotics unveils G1 humanoid for $16k

Unitree Robotics unveiled its latest generation G1 humanoid robot at ICRA 2024. The original Unitree H1 humanoid was first introduced in 2023 and made famous in a number of videos demonstrating its balancing and walking capabilities. Read More

1. To make household robots widely available, it’s about actuators, not AI

Everyone wants universal household robots. For widespread adoption, they are going to have to have a price point that allows monthly financing or lease payments that are roughly similar to a car, suggesting that manufacturers will need to retail units in the neighborhood of $40,000 to get widescale uptake. Read More

The post Top 10 robotics stories of May 2024 appeared first on The Robot Report.

Teradyne Robotics has named James Davidson as its chief artificial intelligence officer, effective May 28, 2024. This move comes as Teradyne Robotics, which owns Universal Robots (UR) and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), has embraced AI as part of its strategy.

Davidson most recently served as chief architect at MiR, where he guided the technical direction for the new MiR1200 Pallet Jack. His broad application of AI spans diverse projects, Teradyne pointed out, from implementing Google’s pioneering AI-generated ads and developing healthcare fraud detection systems at MITRE to advancing robotics in various forms.

Davidson’s career spans over 20 years and includes deep expertise in AI and robotics. Initially focused on satellite technologies at Sandia National Laboratories, he shifted to robotics, fueling his passion for the field through doctoral work in reinforcement learning at the University of Illinois. He has held lead research roles at Google Brain/DeepMind and MITRE, where he contributed extensively to both academic research and commercial products. James then embraced entrepreneurship, steering Talos Robotics as CEO and shaping the technological vision of Third Wave Automation as CTO.

“James’ exceptional track record in AI and robotics aligns perfectly with Teradyne Robotics’ mission to revolutionize manufacturing through innovative automation solutions,” said Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics. “We are excited to welcome him to our team and are confident that his leadership will drive significant advancements in our AI capabilities.”

James Davidson

Kumar keynoted the Robotics Summit & Expo, which is produced by The Robot Report. He talked in part about how AI is enabling advanced robotics to be more productive for small and medium-sized businesses. Teradyne Robotics also highlighted advanced robotics during the opening of its new headquarters in Odense, Denmark. Kumar was joined by Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge computing at NVIDIA, and Rainer Brehm, CEO of Siemens Factory Automation, for a panel discussion on the future of advanced robotics. You can watch the discussion atop this page.

“The advent of generative AI, coupled with simulation and digital twins technology, is at a tipping point right now, and that combination is going to change the trajectory of robotics,” Talla during the discussion.

UR recently integrated NVIDIA’s accelerated computing into its collaborative robot arms (cobots) for path planning 50 to 80 times faster than today’s applications. Teradyne and NVIDIA cited benefits including ease of programming and lower computation time for planning, optimizing, and executing trajectories. For customers, this technology can simplify the setup of common industrial applications, facilitating robot adoption for high-mix, low-volume scenarios.

And MiR uses the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module for AI-powered pallet detection. MiR said this enables it to identify and precisely move objects, navigate autonomously, and operate in complex factory and warehouse environments.

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Speaking of AI, OpenAI is best known for ChatGPT and its work on large language models (LLMs). But the San Francisco-based company is returning to its robotics roots after a three-year break. OpenAI shut down its robotics group in July 2021, prior to all of the interest in generative AI.

OpenAI is again hiring again for its robotics team, with an open position for a research robotics engineer. It is looking for someone capable of “training multimodal robotics models to unlock new capabilities for our partners’ robots, research and develop improvements to our core models, including exploring new model architectures, collecting robotics data, and evaluations.”

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Global cobot market revenues are set to increase at >20% a year from 2024 to 2028. | Credit: Interact Analysis

The global collaborative robot (cobot) market topped $1 billion in revenues during 2023, despite overall demand recovering more slowly than expected post-pandemic, according to new data from Interact Analysis. Looking to the future, the market intelligence specialist predicts the global market for cobots will see a 22% increase in shipments during 2024 and anticipates similar levels of growth (>20%) each year through 2028.

• Global cobot market revenue exceeded $1 billion in 2023, despite lower-than-expected growth
• There has been a clear shift from individual to holistic solutions
• Market demand for cobots recovered more slowly than anticipated, but revenues are expected to grow at >20% between 2024-28

Interact Analysis also recently documented an increase in demand for integrated robot control. As recently as 2021, global tech market advisory firm ABI Research also predicted that the cobot market would grow substantially over the coming decade. According to ABI, the market had a global valuation of $475 million in 2020 (slightly lower than Interact’s numbers), which would expand to $600 million in 2021 and $8 billion in 2030, with a projected CAGR of 32.5%.

Interact Analysis believes that annual revenue growth for cobots was around 11.9% in 2023, despite a challenging year for manufacturing, tough economic conditions, and supply chain issues. Demand for cobots in the automotive and new energy industries remained high last year, but demand for cobots in electronics and semiconductors fell significantly, leading to a small V-shaped trajectory between 2022-24. Orders from the semiconductor and logistics industries are expected to bounce back in 2024, but high interest rates could weaken overall order intake this year.

Universal Robots (UR) remains the cobot market leader. UR generated $304 million in revenue in 2023. 

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“The global cobot market is becoming more refined, as end-users seek out holistic solutions rather than purchasing large pieces of equipment,” said Interact Analysis research manager Maya Xiao. “Over the coming year, we expect to see major cobot vendors target large customers, which could impact capacity and resource allocation.

“Moving forward, China will dominate the global cobots market in the medium term, but it is also the region where average revenue per unit (ARPU) is expected to fall most sharply, as competition in the market increases. The cobot market growth rate in regions other than China will approach that of China after 2025 and the global average market price for cobots is expected to increase slightly between 2023 and 2028 as demand grows for collaborative robots capable of handling larger payloads.”

This report answers these and other key questions facing the industry today. A premium version of the report is available with quarterly market movement updates, a mid-year market forecast, and granular data about cobots by country, by industry, and by payload.

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Comau is expanding from automotive manufacturing to logistics applications such as pick and place. Source: Comau

If change is constant in technology, even established industrial automation providers must adapt to keep up. Comau SpA recently said it is shifting from traditional robotics to software-driven systems and industry-agnostic technologies.

The company has been expanding from the automotive industry and systems integration to new markets including logistics and energy, noted Allesandro Piscioneri, global head of strategic marketing, advanced robotics, and digital segments at Comau.

“The transition has been happening from our traditional business of body in white to new batteries for mobility, including hydrogen cells and power for robots,” he told The Robot Report. “Our business is evenly divided between North America, Europe, and Asia.”

The Turin, Italy-based unit of Stellantis said it expects the market for automation to experience a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2022 and 2030, with an increase from 1.2 million industrial robots today to 2.6 million by 2029. Comau has 50 years of experience with manufacturers and employs more than 3,700 people in 13 countries.

The company also supplies collaborative robots, wearables, vision-based systems, and software. At Automate this month, Comau announced new products, including its S-Family welding and materials handling systems, the MI.RA/OnePicker system, and the MATE-XB and MATE-XT exoskeletons.

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Comau debuts S-Family robot arms

The new S-Family of small, six-axis robot arms can handle payloads up to 13 and 18 kg (28.6 and 39.6 lb.). They are designed with hollow wrists and protected cabling to avoid damage and the risk of contamination in sensitive environments such as in food and beverage, battery manufacturing, or electronics.

“We squeezed knowledge from internal and external customers to focus on high-performance, precise production,” said Piscioneri. “It’s also rated IP68 for water and dust resistance and can be mounted on the floor, wall, or ceiling.”

The S-Family is designed to be compact for tight spaces and includes integrated arc and gigabit dressings, according to Comau. The S-13 can reach up to 1,960 mm (77.1 in.), and the S-18 can reach up to 1,730 mm (68.1 in.).

Comau demonstrated welding with its S-Family robot at Automate. Source: Comau

Comau also shows picking, identification systems

Comau’s Machine Inspection Recognition Archetypes, or MI.RA/OnePicker line, is a hardware-agnostic machine vision product intended to ease robotic piece picking. It uses sensors and artificial intelligence to identify and pick random objects from bins without relying on CAD data or prior information about the items’ size, shape, color, or other characteristics.

MI.RA/OnePicker is “adaptable to any brand of commercial robot, customized bin, or customized gripper,” said Comau. This makes it suitable for pick-and-place, kitting, sorting, e-commerce, and other warehouse applications, it said.

Customers can use virtual simulation tools and predictive algorithms for optimal path management and collision-free trajectories, Comau said. The software comes with Comau’s Racer5 five-axis cobot, which can switch from collaborative mode to industrial mode to work at full speed without the need for safety cages, explained Piscioneri. A safety assessment is still necessary for the payload and application.

Exoskeletons and collaboration to improve accessibility

Comau displayed non-powered exoskeletons intended to help workers with repetitive lifting and overhead tasks, addressing widespread labor shortages. The MATE-XB is designed to support the lower back, and the MATE-XT is designed for the upper back and shoulders.

MATE-XT upper-body exoskeleton. Source: Comau

In addition, Comau showcased in Chicago its partnership with Rockwell Automation in a demonstration cell using its Racer-3 robot and Rockwell’s Unified Robot Control (URC) library and Emulate3D for palletizing, color sorting, and depalletizing. All of Comau’s robots can be controlled via PCs with its Open Controller software.

Another collaboration is with Intrinsic, whose Flowstate development platform can “make the next generation of robotics more accessible to all,” Comau said. In March, Intrinsic co-founded the Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA). It had acquired Robot Operating System maker Open Source Robotics Corp. in 2022.

Speaking of accessibility, Comau’s e.DO robot was originally intended to help STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students, but industrial customers have found it useful for training and building complete systems, Piscioneri said.

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Universal Robots, along with other cobot manufacturers, cobots can now use SRCI, a standard interface between PLCs and robots. | Source: Universal Robots

Just before Hanover Messe, Siemens announced its cooperation with two collaborative robot vendors, UR and JAKA. This will enable Siemens PLCs to control robots from UR and JAKA through the TIA Portal using the ‘Standard Robot Command Interface (SRCI)’ function.

Prior to this, Siemens was already working in cooperation with Comau, Stäubli, Kawasaki and Yaskawa in integrated robot control via SRCI. A series of other leading robot brands, such as ABB, KUKA, FANUC, Epson and Techman, are also scheduled to come on board, and some other well-known Japanese and Chinese suppliers are pending, including Yamaha and Estun.

This will mean that the most influential industrial robot and collaborative robot brands on the market will support integrated robot control, allowing their robots to be controlled by automation systems.

In fact, automation suppliers have been offering solutions for machine-integrated robot control for many years, but with the strong increase in the adoption of robots since 2021, demand for integrated control has surged. With new actions from leading suppliers like Siemens, this trend will accelerate significantly and we expect the market for machine-integrated robot control to grow rapidly over the next few years.

Partners of Siemens SRCI Robot Control System | Source: Siemens

What is machine-integrated robot control?

Currently, the integration of industrial or collaborative robots and machines generally uses communication networks. The robot and the machine utilize independent control platforms, and robot controllers are connected to the machine PLC via communication protocols to facilitate machine-robot coordination.

In this conventional scenario, robots are sold with proprietary controllers. If an integrator or machine builder needs to adapt robot kinematics to machine movements, robot programming expertise is required. As the control software and programming languages of each robot vendor often differ, integrating robots from different suppliers requires a lot of engineering and is very demanding.

The concept of machine-integrated robot control emerged in a bid to unify control of machines and robots. There are two main ways of doing this. One is to retain the robot-specific controller hardware. For example, Siemens’ method employs a PLC that supports SRCI functions to translate and merge the robots’ control instructions into the TIA Portal. This enables engineers to use Siemens’ development environment to control robots without using robot programming languages.

Another integration method is to eliminate the robot controller hardware and use an automation controller with motion control functions instead. Robot axes are regarded as components of the machine and can be controlled directly by the machine controller. Notable solutions using this method include Rockwell’s Unified Robot Control, B&R’s Machine-Centric Robotics, Schneider’s PacDrive, and Omron’s NJ501-R controller. In addition to robot mechanics coming from robot manufacturers, there are also many cases where machine builders or integrators build robot mechanics themselves.

The right time for machine-integrated robot control

Compared with communication networks, integrated control of machines and robots has many advantages; for example, eliminating the proprietary robot controller saves space in the control cabinet. When multiple robots are integrated, the integrated controller makes it easier to achieve better machine-robot synchronization and higher speeds, leading to better performance and cost advantages. In customized scenarios, machine builders make special robot kinematics in house, and a general automation controller enables practical integration of self-built robots with machines.

Integrated robot control is not a new concept. Cooperation between automation and robot vendors in this area can be traced back to 2015, but market demand has previously been tepid. However, over the past three years it is growing in popularity, with many manufacturers launching solutions. In addition to the advantages already mentioned, we believe the current market environment has accelerated the trend towards machine-integrated robot control because of two key factors:

• The cost of robots has been reducing over time as production volumes increase. This enables more widespread adoption of robots in machines, pushing up the average number of robots per machine. At the same time, end users are increasingly requesting robot-machine synchronization and the speed of robots used in machines. Conventional systems with separate robot and machine controllers sometimes have difficulty meeting performance requirements, enhancing the need for integrated robot control systems.
• The expertise required for integrating robots remains high. Due to continued labor shortages, unifying the control systems of robots and machines becomes increasingly attractive to machine builders as it can help them manage the shortage of experienced engineers. For integrators and machine builders, this is not only related to product development and delivery, but also crucial in the after-sales stage.

Different market participants can benefit from the trend

With the increasing adoption of robots and the continued shortage of experienced engineers, there is strong growth in the market’s interest in integrated robot control. Different types of relevant market players are trying to seize the opportunities and benefits offered by this technology.

Automation system suppliers see the most direct benefits from the trend. They finally have chance to enter the robot controllers market (which has been almost exclusively dominated by robot vendors). At the same time, integrated robots can also generate growth opportunities for their servo drives – and even motors – businesses.

Machine builders are also actively adopting integrated robot control, as they value the improvement in machine performance it brings, as well as the ability to save costs, control the supply chain, and provide users with more complete after-sales services by building their own robot mechanics.

For robot manufacturers, supporting integration solutions requires them to permit some access to their robot control system. However, this can reduce the difficulty for users adopting their robots and therefore increase the competitiveness of the brand.

For end users, the machine-integrated robot control system is more convenient to operate and has performance advantages in multi-robot scenarios, increasing their willingness to choose integrated solutions.

Since ABB and B&R launched machine-integrated robot control several years ago, both leading automation suppliers and robot vendors have created their own solutions. Manufacturers specializing in robot mechanics that support various integrated controllers have also emerged. Machine builders – especially suppliers of packaging machines and customized automation solutions – continue to launch products with integrated robot control, and some have even started serial production of self-made robots for their machines.

Final thoughts

Considering the two integration methods (retaining or eliminating robot controller hardware), SRCI is a good example of the former method, which is suitable for controlling complicated robot kinematics. As SRCI is an open standard developed and maintained by Profinet, in addition to Siemens, other manufacturers may also launch products in this field in the future, especially those with strong presences in the PLC market. The latter method is suitable for high-speed machine-robot coordination, and many leading suppliers have introduced solutions in this area.

The market for integrated-controlled robots is analyzed in-depth in Interact Analysis’ new ‘Components in Machine-Integrated Robots’ report. We investigate the market size by robot type and by industry, quantifying demand for components in terms of revenue, units, and ASPs.

Editor’s Note: This article was republished, with permission, from Interact Analysis. 

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Hirebotics says that thanks to the Miller Auto DeltaWeld, its Cobot Welder System is future-proof, easy to use, and ready to boost fabrication productivity immediately upon installation. | Source: Hirebotics

As robots increasingly make their way into the world, automation providers are focusing on making the end-user experience faster and easier than ever. Hirebotics LLC today said its Cobot Welder now includes support for Miller Auto DeltaWeld for an even more streamlined user experience. 

The Auto DeltaWeld System is a MIG/Flux-cored, pulsed-capable power source designed for collaborative robots, according to Miller Electric Mfg. Co. The Appleton, Wis.-based company said its system is intended for customers that want the benefits of automated welding without the cost and complexity of traditional power supplies. 

Hirebotics said that with the Miller Auto DeltaWeld integration, its Cobot Welder is a future-proof system. It includes remote software updating so that additional welding features and functions can be easily integrated with the system. 

“While the Auto DeltaWeld Basic is designed for simplicity, we at Miller still want to provide top-of-the-line waveforms,” stated Sam Nolan, product manager at ITW Miller Welding Automation. “As we update and expand our welder functionality, Hirebotics ability to provide online updates is a powerful tool to ensure their customers experience the latest in welding technology.” 

Matthew Bush and Rob Goldiez founded Nashville, Tenn.-based Hirebotics in 2015. The company offers welding and plasma-cutting cobot systems powered by its Beacon platform.

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Miller Auto DeltaWeld Power Source’s key features

The Miller Auto DeltaWeld provides high reliability and welding quality on carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum, said Miller Welds. The company noted that it designed the system for sheet metal, structural steel, and heavy industrial manufacturing. 

“Cobots are designed to provide simple, safe automation,” said Nolan. “The Auto DeltaWeld Basic was built just for that. We strive to provide Hirebotics with the ability to provide the best software/hardware experience to keep the cobots easy to use and operate.”

Some of the system’s notable features include: 

• Pulsed MIG welding: This allows cobots to produce TIG-like welds with MIG productivity, claimed the companies. They said this ensures high weld quality, especially when paired with a cobot. 
• Miller’s Accu-Pulse: This feature provides a wider operating window, works in all positions, improves pulsed-MIG application, and increases deposition by 20% to 25%. 
• High-duty cycle: This feature is designed to ensure uninterrupted cobot welding for most applications. 

Hirebotics Beacon lets users control welding setups by app

With smartphone app Beacon, users can control the entire welding setup. Unlike other cobot systems, Cobot Welder lets the user control everything from one place with a simple interface, asserted Hirebotics.

Traditionally, welders must go back and forth between the teach pendant and the power source to control the robot. Beacon is another tool that makes the cobot integration process easier and faster, the company said. 

Beacon is also entirely cloud-based, which means users can control their robots remotely and locally. With it, users can adjust settings such as switching processes between CV and MIG, wire feed speed (WFS), arc length, crater fill time, weave action, pre- and post-flow time, burnback settings, retract settings, hot start settings, and more. 

HIrebotics says its Cobot Welder is a straightforward, app-controlled, turnkey, off-the-shelf welding automation system. Beacon automatically recommends welding parameters using AI, saving end-users time and improving weld quality. Users can also use previously saved settings, or input welding parameters manually. 

Users don’t need any programming or robotics skills to operate Cobot Welder, said Hirebotics. Beacon only requires the settings that welding professionals are used to, like WFS and voltage. The company said that integration with Miller Auto DeltaWeld can ensure the highest level of welding quality on all commonly used materials. 

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CHICAGO — Yaskawa Motoman last week showed several offerings bundling its robots with vision and controls to help manufacturers adopt automation. They included collaborative and industrial robots, as well as workcells for applications such as welding and palletizing.

“Sophisticated demands and shifting markets are transforming the industrial landscape, necessitating the need for smart technology and easy-to-use robots that can help companies of all sizes easily adapt to changing manufacturing requirements,” said Yaskawa.

Founded in 1989, the Motoman Robotics Division of Yaskawa America Inc. provides systems for applications including assembly, coating, dispensing, materials handling, material cutting and removal, packaging, and clinical laboratory specimen processing.

Dayton, Ohio-based Yaskawa America Inc. touted its 4.7 (out of 5.0) approval rating in its 2023 Customer Satisfaction Survey.

“This level of performance is a direct result of a dedicated, highly experienced team focused on executing sound strategies, producing quality solutions, and delivering world-class support,” stated Steve Barhorst, president and chief operating officer of Yaskawa Motoman. “This achievement validates that our corporate commitment to customer support, combined with extra efforts by all employees, results in satisfied customers.”

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Yaskawa contributes to cobot welding cells

Yaskawa showed how its collaborative robot arms are becoming easier to use and reprogram for multiple applications. The company designed the six-axis HC-Series cobots to supplement manual welding.

With partner ARC Specialties, the company demonstrated its AR1440 system for high-speed arc welding. The six-axis robot has an expanded wrist motion range and a 12 kg (26.4 lb.) payload capacity. It also supports the featured DINSE REVO liquid-cooled rotary torch, which has a built-in slip ring for continuous rotation when deep in the bore.

Yaskawa claimed that the combination of a robust 360° rotary torch, a Miller welding package, its own Universal Weldcom Interface (UWI) pendant application, and ARC Specialties’ programming expertise provides manufacturers with a high-production cladding option. It also minimizes requirements for programming and startup, it said.

The ArcWorld HC is a portable shop for human-collaborative interaction for medium- or low-volume runs. It includes the HC10DTP cobot, which has a 1,379 mm (54. in.) maximum reach and a 10 kg (22 lb.) payload capacity.

Power and force-limiting (PFL) technology allows for safe operations and hand-guided programming without a teach pendant, said Yaskawa. UWI works with multiple digital welding power supplies and allows for easy control of weld processes or parameters, it noted.

For smaller parts, Yaskawa’s ArcWorld LC system is designed for fabricators with lighter volume requirements. The workstation is configured for wide parts and includes a fixed tooling table with a 250 kg (551 lb.) payload or a servo-driven MH185 headstock with a 185 kg (407.8 lb.) payload.

ArcWorld has a 2,125 x 2,097 mm (83.6 x 82.5 in.) footprint, and a dual configuration is available. The system can fit in a trailer and includes a single AR1440 robot using the UWI.

In addition, Novarc exhibited the NovEye weld monitoring and control system, which enables a robot to adapt a programmed path based on characteristics of the weld puddle for a proper weld.

Yaskawa also offers the AR-Series robots for high-speed arc welding. These six-axis robots can handle payloads of 8 to 25 kg (17.6 to 55.1 lb.) and support a wide variety of torches and sensors.

Motoman demos machine tending, bin picking

With computer numerical control (CNC) provider Vista Automation, Yaskawa displayed the ROBOTEND system with the high-speed GP12 robot for machine tending and parcel induction. The robot has a 1,440 mm (56.6 in.) horizontal reach, a 2,411 (94.2 in.) mm vertical reach, and a 12 kg (26.4 lb.) payload capacity.

The GP12 works with patented Smart Frame technology helps determine the user’s orientation relative to the robot. This makes the user the frame of reference, eliminating the use of conventional X, Y, and Z coordinates for a faster learning curve, said Yaskawa.

The cell also included Plus One Robotics‘ PickOne Perception Kit, which promises human-like vision for intelligent 3D scene capturing, as well as pick rates over 1,600 per hour for a wide variety of objects.

Yaskawa also demonstrated a trend of both industrial and collaborative robots becoming more capable. The company said it designed the GP8L robot to optimize throughput in tight production spaces.

The GP8L has a 1,636 mm (64.4 in.) horizontal reach, a 2,894 mm (113.9 in.) vertical reach, and a 8 kg (17.6 lb.) payload capacity. It has an IP54 body and can be mounted on floors, walls, and ceilings or tilted. It has brakes on all axes and is designed to optimize throughput.

A KEYENCE 3D vision system used pattern projections and structured lighting to recognize randomly placed parts for fast and accurate bin picking.

Smart Pendant v3.0 designed to accelerate applications

The GP12 and HC-series robots work with Smart Pendant Version 3.0, which is intended to accelerate application setup. It builds on prior software updates to allow for quick implementation of automated assembly, welding, injection molding, inspection, machine tending, palletizing, and pick-and-place tasks, said Yaskawa.

Smart Pendant, which includes several updates to features such as the YRC1000 controller software that can run on Windows, is available for use with select Yaskawa Motoman YRC-controlled robots.

Palletizing and depalletizing have become popular applications to automate because robots can reduce worker strain from repetitive and heavy movement. The Pallet Builder extension to Yaskawa’s Smart Pendant provides a user interface for “no-code” programming for workcell configuration and setup.

Pallet Builder is designed for high-mix, low-to-medium volume production at small and midsize enterprises (SMEs), with support for up to eight combined stations. Yaskawa said the software can work with a wide variety of end-of-arm tools (EOAT) and requires Smart Pendant v3.0. Pallet Solver is an offline PC-based tool for setting up palletizing routines.

Robot arms get longer and stronger

Joining other heavy-duty cobots at Automate, Yaskawa’s HC30PL has a 30 kg payload and 1,700 mm maximum reach. It is suitable for palletizing and food handling, according to the company.

It offers four modes of collaborative application and can shift between PFL mode for operations around people to full-speed industrial mode to optimize cycle times, based on risk assessments and process requirements.

The palletizing system also includes a plug-and-play tool flange based on EN ISO-9409-1 and a thru-arm Category 6 Ethernet cable. It has an IP67 rating and easy-to-clean surface for NSF H1-certified food-grade grease.

Yaskawa Drives & Motion division part of displays

Yaskawa’s Drives & Motion division also displayed its products at Automate. The iCube Control machine controller has an open design and modular system integration, and “gives developers the freedom to program function modules in the language of their choice,” the company asserted.

The division also showed food-grade and hygienic stainless-steel servo motors for use with its Sigma Series amplifiers complying with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group standards.

Speaking of food and beverage, thirsty conference goers could see the HC10DTP cobot, which was part of the renovated “Yaskawa Pub.”

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Senior executives from NVIDIA, Siemens, and Teradyne Robotics gathered this week in Odense, Denmark, to mark the launch of Teradyne Robotics’ new headquarters and discuss the advances coming to the robotics industry.

One of Denmark’s oldest cities and known as “the city of robotics,” Odense is home to more than 160 robotics companies with 3,700 employees and said it contributes to the robotics industry’s progress.

Teradyne Robotics’ new hub there includes collaborative robotics leader Universal Robots (UR) and autonomous mobile robot (AMR) company Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). The company said it will help maximize employee collaboration, foster innovation, and provide an environment to revolutionize advanced robotics and autonomous machines.

The grand opening showcased the latest AI robotic applications and featured a panel discussion on the future of advanced robotics. Speakers included Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics; Rainer Brehm, CEO of Siemens Factory Automation; and Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge computing at NVIDIA.

“The advent of generative AI, coupled with simulation and digital twins technology, is at a tipping point right now, and that combination is going to change the trajectory of robotics,” commented Talla.

Panelists tout the power of partnerships

The event occurred as the global robotics market continues to grow rapidly. The cobot market in Europe was valued at $286 million in 2022 and is projected to reach $6.7 billion by 2032 at an annual growth rate of more than 37%, according to Statzon.

The panelists discussed why teaming up is key to innovation for any company — whether a startup or an enterprise. They also talked about how physical AI is being used across businesses and workplaces, stressing the game-changing impact of advanced robotics.

The alliance between NVIDIA and Teradyne Robotics, which includes an AI-based intralogistics system alongside Siemens, showcases the strength of collaboration across the ecosystem. NVIDIA said its prominent role as a physical AI hardware provider is boosting the cobot and AMR sectors with accelerated computing, while its collaboration with Siemens is transforming industrial automation.

“NVIDIA provides all the core AI capabilities that get integrated into the hundreds and thousands of companies building robotic platforms and robots, so our approach is 100% collaboration,” Talla said.

“What excites me most about AI and robots is that collaboration is at the core of solving our customers’ problems,” Kumar added. “No one company has all the technologies needed to address these problems, so we must work together to understand and solve them at a very fast pace.”

From left to right: Fleur Nielsen, head of communications at Universal Robots; Deepu Talla, head of robotics at NVIDIA; Rainer Brehm, CEO of Siemens Factory Automation; and Ujjwal Kumar, president of Teradyne Robotics. | Source: NVIDIA, Steffen Stamp

AI to accelerate innovation 

AI has already made huge strides across industries and plays an important role in enhancing advanced robotics, said NVIDIA, Teradyne, and Siemens. Leveraging machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing, AI gives robots the cognitive capability to understand, learn and make decisions.

“For humans, we have our senses, but it’s not that easy for a robot, so you have to build these AI capabilities for autonomous navigation,” Talla said. “NVIDIA’s Isaac platform is enabling increased autonomy in robotics with rapid advancements in simulation, generative AI, foundation models, and optimized edge computing.”

NVIDIA is working closely with Universal Robots to infuse AI into UR’s robotics software. In the case of AMRs that move things from Point A to B to C, it’s all about operating in unstructured environments and navigating autonomously, said Talla.

Brehm emphasized the need to scale AI by industrializing it, allowing for automated deployment, inference, and monitoring of models — making AI easily accessible on the shopfloor. He spoke about empowering customers to utilize AI effortlessly, even without AI expertise.

“Our goal is to advance automation, moving towards a system that leverages skills-based automation in the future,” Brehm said.

As a leading robotics company with one of the largest installed bases of cobots and AMRs, Teradyne has identified a long list of industry problems and is working with NVIDIA to solve them.

“I use the term ‘physical AI’ as opposed to ‘digital AI’ because we are taking AI to a whole new level by applying it in the physical world,” said Kumar, who delivered a keynote at the Robotics Summit & Expo earlier this month. “We see it helping our customers in three ways: adding new capabilities to our robots, making our robots smarter with advanced path planning and navigation, and further enhancing the safety and reliability of our collaborative robots.”

Robotics has a real-world impact, say Teradyne, NVIDIA, and Siemens

Autonomous machines, or AI robots, are already making a noticeable difference in the real world, from industries to people’s daily lives. Industries such as manufacturing are using advanced robotics to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.

Companies want to produce goods close to where they are consumed, with sustainability being a key driver, noted the speakers. But this often means setting up shop in high-cost countries. The challenge is twofold: producing at competitive prices and dealing with shrinking, aging workforces that are less available for factory jobs.

“The problem for large manufacturers is the same as what small and medium manufacturers have always faced: variability,” Kumar said. “High-volume industrial robots don’t suit applications requiring continuous design tweaks. Collaborative robots combined with AI offer solutions to the pain points that small and medium customers have lived with for years, and to the new challenges now faced by large manufacturers.”

Automation isn’t just about making things faster; it’s also about making the most of the workforce, explained Teradyne Robotics, NVIDIA, and Siemens. In manufacturing, automation can aid smoother processes, ramps up safety, saves time and relieves pressure on employees.

“Automation is crucial for solving problems and, to get there, AI is a game-changer,” Brehm said. “If you don’t have the people who want to work in the factory, and you don’t have the people to program the automation, you won’t have the flexibility to automate what you need in the future. And that’s what drives our customers.”

AI and computing technologies are set to redefine the robotics landscape, transforming robots from mere tools to intelligent partners capable of autonomy and adaptability across industries, said the panelists.

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About the author

Gerard Andrews is a senior product marketing manager focused on the robotics developer community. Prior to joining NVIDIA, he was at Cadence, where he was product marketing director, responsible for product planning, marketing, and business development for licensable processor IP. Andrews holds an M.S. in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. in electrical engineering from Southern Methodist University.

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Two leading automation suppliers have moved in together. Collaborative robot leader Universal Robots A/S and autonomous mobile robot, or AMR, provider Mobile Industrial Robots ApS today celebrated the grand opening of their new 215,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in Odense, Denmark.

Both companies are units of Teradyne Inc., which acquired Universal Robots (UR) for $285 million in 2015 and Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) for $272 million in 2018.

“The launch of this new headquarters marks a significant milestone for Teradyne Robotics as we bring together two leading companies in robotics innovation,” stated Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics. “We will now have the optimal environment to evolve our technological capabilities, which are already in high demand.”

Kumar was a keynote speaker at the Robotics Summit & Expo earlier this month. Universal Robots won a 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award for its UR30 cobot.

Teradyne Robotics said it has more than 1,400 employees in over 32 offices worldwide, and about 34% of the cobot market. The North Reading, Mass.-based company added that it has deployed a total of more than 80,000 robots globally and that it has invested over $100 million in robotics and automation.

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Teradyne partners participate in grand opening

Partners from Universal Robots and Mobile Industrial Robots’ global ecosystems attended the event, including NVIDIA and Siemens, with whom Teradyne Robotics and its companies have recently announced several collaborations.

The opening included a panel discussion featuring Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge computing of NVIDIA, Rainer Brehm, CEO of Siemens Factory Automation, and Kumar. The panelists discussed the use of “physical AI” across industries and how advanced automation could transform businesses and workplaces.

UR and MiR plan to innovating

Construction of the new robotics hub in Denmark began in April 2022, and 550 people will work at the research and development facility. It will also include a new showroom and training rooms for in-person robot training. The headquarters does not include production facilities.

“Since our foundation, UR has become a platform of choice for thousands of customers and hundreds of ecosystem partners,” said
Kim Povlsen, president of Universal Robots. “This beautiful building reflects our strong design philosophy and provides the perfect location for us to continue our mission to deliver automation for anyone, anywhere.”

At Automate in Chicago last week, Universal Robots’ collaborative robot arms were part of more than 50 exhibits on the show floor. The company also demonstrated AI-powered piece picking, welding, and other applications, and its PolysScope X software will soon include NVIDIA technology.

Just as it has applied technologies from Energid to UR cobots, Teradyne said it has applied lessons and intellectual property from AutoGuide to add artificial intelligence to MiR AMRs.

“Our new headquarters is designed to foster innovation, providing the perfect setting for our teams to develop leading-edge solutions that will revolutionize automation,” asserted Jean-Pierre Hathout, president of Mobile Industrial Robots. “MiR is committed to being a one-stop-shop for material handling, continuously advancing our technology to meet the evolving needs of our large, global customers.”

“Our recently launched AI-powered MiR1200 Pallet Jack exemplifies this dedication. I’m thrilled to witness the transformative impact of our endeavors and to showcase MiR’s and UR’s offerings to our customers and partners at this state-of-the-art facility.”

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